Alec Derrig is a CFP® and Series 65 license holder based in Akron, Ohio, with one year of experience at Sand Run Wealth Management. His prior work includes roles at Kauig Companies Limited and Apple Growth Partners, as well as four years at Kent State University. Outside of advising, he is involved with a family office through his other business activities. Sand Run Wealth Management is an Ohio-registered investment adviser serving individuals and families with investment management and financial planning services. The firm employs a long-term, goals-based investment approach tailored to client objectives and emphasizes tax-aware strategies through diversified portfolios.

Peter Laakso is a financial advisor with Priority Investment Management LLC in Akron, OH. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 12 years of industry experience, including a decade at Meridian Capital Management Group, Inc. from 2014 to 2024 and prior self-employment from 2010 to 2016. Priority Investment Management LLC provides discretionary asset management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm offers customized investment programs using a mix of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, with an emphasis on managing accounts separately and allowing clients to vote their own proxies.

Larry Kline is a financial advisor at Gateway Wealth, Inc. in Stow, Ohio, with 38 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at FSC Securities Corporation and Osaic Wealth, Inc. In addition to his advisory role, Kline is a CPA involved in tax return preparation and tax planning. Gateway Wealth, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs a long-term investment approach with discretionary management, emphasizing mutual funds and utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis.

George Dagnino is the sole advisor at Peter Dag & Associates, Inc. in Akron, OH, with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with the firm since 1993. Peter Dag & Associates serves a small number of individual clients, primarily managing conservative and retirement accounts through discretionary portfolio management and investment advice. The firm also publishes a subscription-based investment report, The Peter Dag Portfolio, with an investment approach focused on economic trend analysis, sector-specific security selection, and a conservative bias to limit downside risk.

Garrett Boone is a financial advisor at Fortifi Capital, LLC in Akron, Ohio, with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has led Fortifi Capital since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates gbtechlab LLC, a full stack software engineering business, working primarily on contract and freelance projects. Fortifi Capital provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, small businesses, and corporate clients. The firm uses a quantitative, ETF-based approach that includes tactical adjustments with derivatives and options, and it is notable for serving corporate accounts and developing proprietary software to support its investment process.

George Coyle is a financial advisor at Triangulated Capital Management, LLC with 4 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at John A. Levin & Co. since 2001. In addition to his advisory role, he is the owner and editor of Triangulated Research, LLC, a publisher of financial newsletters. Triangulated Capital Management primarily serves individual clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, retirement account planning, and consulting through bespoke research projects. The firm employs a blend of quantitative and qualitative analysis, combining modern portfolio theory, thematic equity research, and discretionary trading, with a focus on liquid public markets and futures strategies.

Andrew Tisler is a CFP® professional with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Epic Financial, LLC in Hudson, Ohio. He has been with Epic Financial since its founding in 2013. Epic Financial provides portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm follows an investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis, focusing on asset allocation, mutual funds, ETFs, and a long-term strategy with emphasis on smaller/value equities and high-quality fixed income.

I’m a normal guy who branched out on my own to build a client-first firm focused on real relationships and holistic planning. My goal is simple: to be your trusted partner and number one resource for every financial decision. I started my firm because I wanted to practice financial planning with intention. I wanted the time to think deeply, ask better questions, and build thoughtful, comprehensive strategies—not just manage investments. To me, holistic planning means everything works together: investments, tax strategy, retirement planning, cash flow, risk management, estate considerations, and life transitions. Your financial life isn’t segmented, so your plan shouldn’t be either. I built this firm to prioritize depth over volume. That means fewer clients, more attention, and real accessibility when something important comes up. When you call, you’re not routed through layers of bureaucracy—you’re talking directly to me. I believe you can build a successful business without sacrificing your family or your values. I structured my firm so I can serve clients exceptionally well while still living the principles I encourage others to prioritize — balance, integrity, and intentionality. If you’re looking for an advisor who will think carefully, communicate clearly, and walk alongside you through major financial decisions, I’d be honored to serve in that role.

Daniel Jones is the sole advisor at Echo Financial Advisors, LLC, based in Akron, OH, with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked previously at KingsCrowd and Avaring Capital Advisors. Jones is also a freelance contributor for Seeking Alpha, writing articles on investment topics. Echo Financial Advisors, LLC provides algorithm-driven robo-advisory portfolio management to individuals and high-net-worth clients through an online platform. The firm uses client inputs to construct portfolios focused on equities, ETFs, and international securities, and features a social “echoing” function that allows users to copy other investors’ trades.

Cheryl Lyon is a financial advisor at Lyon Capital Strategies with 19 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Lyon Capital Strategies since 1995. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved in tax preparation and accounting as a partner in Lyon & Lyon, CPAs, and as the sole proprietor of a business consulting and tax services firm. Lyon Capital Strategies provides investment advice and financial planning to individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plan participants, corporations, and trusts. The firm uses a fundamental analysis approach that incorporates macro-economic factors, valuation metrics, and tactical allocation to build tailored portfolios, managing approximately $5 million in client assets as of January 2024.

Ernest D. Poulos is the sole advisor at POULOS, Ernest, D., an independent firm based in Akron, Ohio. He holds the Series 66 designation and has 25 years of industry experience, including six years at Ameriprise before founding his current practice in 2006. He is also the owner and managing member of a personal services company established in 2016. The firm provides personalized portfolio management services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and other business entities. Investment decisions combine fundamental and technical analysis with customized asset allocation and ongoing supervision, including formal quarterly reviews.

Blase Restifo is the sole advisor at Great Lakes Financial Companies Inc. in Twinsburg, Ohio, holding a Series 66 designation with 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Westminster Financial Securities, Inc. since 1997. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and operates the Restifo Insurance Agency. Great Lakes Financial Companies, Inc. provides discretionary investment management primarily for individual clients, managing diversified portfolios of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, with individualized portfolio management based on a consultative intake process.

Huaiyu Chen is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience and has been the sole advisor at MEV Value LLC since 2015. He also has a long-standing role at Youngstown State University, where he has worked since 2003. MEV Value LLC is a small independent advisory firm serving primarily individual clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm uses an asset-allocation process that balances active and passive management and employs detailed compliance and trading policies uncommon for a single-advisor practice.

Frank Cihlar is the sole advisor at CCM Investment Counsel, an independent firm based in Stow, Ohio. He holds 26 years of industry experience and has been with CCM Investment Counsel, including its predecessor firm CCM Management & Research, Inc., since 1997. CCM Investment Counsel provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice to individuals, families, trusts, pension or profit-sharing plans, and non-profit organizations. The firm uses fundamental analysis and a structured process to create written investment guidelines that align with clients’ objectives, focusing on value investing, diversification, asset allocation, and tax-efficient management.

William Mccarthy is a financial advisor with Partners Investment Services, Inc. in Hudson, Ohio, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Partners Investment Services since 1999 and also serves as president and CEO of Partners Insurance Agency, an insurance marketing company, since 2006. Partners Investment Services serves older adults and families of seniors, focusing on estate protection and long-term care planning, including Medicaid planning. The firm’s preservation-oriented investment approach emphasizes fixed and fixed-indexed annuities and money-market vehicles, with recommendations made on a non-discretionary basis and tailored to clients’ needs rather than continuous asset management.

Daniel Garner is a financial advisor at Presper Financial Architects, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Cetera Advisors LLC and the Millennial Group prior to joining Presper Financial Architects in 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he teaches retirement seminars through Passport to Retirement. Presper Financial Architects, LLC offers personalized financial planning, discretionary asset management, and consulting services to individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, and foundations. The firm utilizes proprietary portfolio models combining fundamental analysis with active and passive strategies and provides specialized program arrangements and multigenerational planning.

Jeffrey Thomas is a financial advisor at Alpha Asset Management in Akron, Ohio, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 35 years of industry experience. He has worked at Alpha Asset Management since 1996 and American Heritage Securities Inc since 2013. Thomas is also president of JCT Investment Counsel, a fee-based investment management firm. Alpha Asset Management is a fee-based registered investment advisor serving primarily individual clients and a limited number of institutions. The firm employs a discretionary portfolio management approach focused on large-cap equities, investment-grade bonds, and investment-company securities, combining top-down secular-cycle analysis with bottom-up security selection.

Brandon Rzeszut is a financial advisor with Alpha Asset Management in Akron, Ohio. He holds a Series 65 designation and has one year of industry experience. His prior work experience includes roles at American Heritage Securities, Arbor Group Advisors, and the University of Akron, as well as operating a juice and smoothie bar. Alpha Asset Management is an independent, fee-based registered investment adviser serving primarily individual clients and a limited number of institutions. The firm focuses on discretionary portfolio management of large-cap equities, investment-grade bonds, and investment-company securities, using a combination of top-down secular-cycle analysis and bottom-up security selection.

Giuseppe Vitale is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hudson Financial Advisors Inc. since 2020 and previously held roles at Capital Analysts, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC, Beacon Financial Partners, and Lincoln Investment. Outside of his advisory work, Vitale serves on the boards of directors for the DDC Clinic, Center for Special Needs Children, and Northern Ohio Charitable Gift Planners. Hudson Financial Advisors provides wealth management, asset allocation, and portfolio management services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm integrates advisory services with insurance consulting and business planning, employing a multi-step, plan-oriented process that includes tax mitigation and wealth transfer strategies.

Stephen Hecker Jr. is a financial advisor with BCD Advisors in Akron, OH, holding a Series 66 designation and over 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Sterne Agee and Armor Financial Management, where he is also President and Owner involved in insurance sales. Outside of financial services, he is engaged in marketing for a health and beauty product company. BCD Advisors provides portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers for individuals, pension plans, and business entities. The firm employs asset allocation and fundamental analysis to recommend portfolios, offering both discretionary and advisory arrangements.